Aretha Franklin’s Family Calls Rev. Jasper Williams’ Eulogy ‘Offensive

Aretha Franklin's family has condemned comments made during the singer's eulogy last week as "offensive and distasteful." During his controversial eulogy, Williams discussed the Black Lives Matter movement and said, “Black lives must not matter until black people start respecting black lives and stop killing ourselves.” He added that “there are not fathers in the home no more” and shares his belief that black women cannot raise their sons to be men. “We found the comments to be offensive and distasteful,” said Vaughn Franklin, one of the singer’s nephews, in a statement on behalf of the family. “We feel that Rev Jasper Williams Jr used this platform to push his negative agenda, which as a family, we do not agree with.” During the eulogy, members of the congregation were heard saying: “Talk about Aretha.” Vaughn Franklin said that his aunt had not asked Williams to provide her eulogy “because dying is a topic that she never discussed with anyone”. They had selected Williams because of his ties with the family, having given the eulogy for Franklin’s father, Reverend CL Franklin, in 1984, and her siblings Erma and Cecil Franklin.

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